Besides the trouble of having to dig out the candy and unwrap it, it just seems so unsanitary. Why knows WHERE those candy wrappers have been? Dropped on the floor of the candy factory, brushed off, and then placed on your cake? No thanks!

I have an uncle who is of Japanese descent (he's actually Canadian, I think). When we'd visit their house when I was a kid, they'd give us these Japanese hard candies that were wrapped in some kind of rice paper. The candies were very sticky, but the paper was edible, so we'd just eat the wrapper and the candy together. Maybe something like that would be a better choice here...

I don't recall what the candy tasted like. I don't think it was particularly yummy. But the wrapper was a novelty, so we ate it.

umm that is so unsanitary! you would think bakeries would have some sort of knowledge of food safety! all the dirt and germs and who knows what else is now all over your "lovely" cake! GROSS!! btw...that last one was hilarious! i love the idea of just stuffing cupcakes and candy in a plastic container and selling it! HA!

ok...for all those who are concerned about the sanitary aspect - do you really think the people who create all of these wrecks are wearing hair nets and gloves? If they can't figure out the correct spelling, etc. do you think they're thinking about sanitation?

I love that one of the candies on the fancy brownies is even placed upside down. The bakery couldn't take the time to make sure the writing was placed right side up.

@elisse - My grandmother is Japanese; there is one candy we grew up eating and love. Botan Rice Candy had an edible wrapper (inside an inedible wrapper - fun with younger cousins ensued). I still eat it because I still love it - tastes kinda citrus-ey, fruity. Plus it came with a sticker in the box; candy and a sticker?! Heck yes!! They do a temporary tattoo instead of the sticker now.

I see those at my local mart all the time - well, not that last one. Supposed to warn you about what flavor the cake is. Maybe it would be better if it specified what disease you're going to get from it.

To all the people who are freaking out about the germs on the wrappers: the candy is sealed in foil or paper and is obviously the cleanest part of the cake. So just eat the candy; to hell with the cake. (Am I allowed to say that on this site?)

Another one who remembers the edible rice paper. Led to some confusion with other candies but I learned quick.

oh my lands!I mean, in a way these are sort of like movie theatre snack King Cakes - but instead of celebrating Mardi Gras and plastic babies I guess we are celebrating um...oh goodness. it's just wrong!!

It can't be all *that* unsanitary. Unappetizing, sure. Unsanitary? Nah. How many of you open a candy bar, then wash your hands (since you just touched the wrapper), then eat the candy? None. You just unwrap and scarf!

Just when I thought it was safe to have a drink of water... I mean, I finished reading the post, I was just reading the comments, and then Elissa says that "angel giggles" makes her feel like they're talking about her behind her back, and I laugh-snort water out my nose.

I can definitely understand the confusion/repulsion of having wrapped candy on a cake, but how many of you would want the wreckorator to unwrap it first??? that's even more ick...so let's just skip the candy. (unless it's baked into it, of course. then YUM!!)

Not grossed out because of potential germs on candy wrappers, since in my whole life I don't think I've unwrapped a candy, carefully tipped it onto a sterile plate, gone to wash my hands, and then come back to eat it (which would be the only way to avoid germs on the wrapper when eating candy normally).

TOTALLY grossed out at the oversugarification of these confections. Plus what's the point of buying a fresh bakery item if it's got a not-fresh sealed chunk'o'sugar on it?

And too often, different kinds of chocolate can conflict unless they're balanced properly. This is pure lazy gluttony, and it's icky.

I used to be a grocery store cake decorator...when we first started doing candy bar cakes, my manager would not let me unwrap the candy bars because it was a "legal issue" or a "health issue"...sounded ridiculous to me, but we ended up going to training and they told us to unwrap them finally!

For all those commenting about the unsanitary wrappers...You ever have a cake or something with those plastic clowns, etc? Yea, I bet those are probably much more germified than any of those candy wrappers! How long were they sitting in a container. Did they get dusty? How many people picked them up and then put them back in that container? Yea, the candy bar wrappers don't get me as sick as the thought of plastics on a cake that have been only heaven knows where!

I don't know why but this is the most stomach-churning post I've seen on this site. Maybe it is, as so many have pointed out, so unsanitary. Who ARE the people that come up with these ideas? I'm depending on angel giggles and rainbow hugs to get me past this trauma...

Wendi-Wow, America sure is weird..and don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, I never have seen anything even mildly Wrecky here in Canada..it doesn't mean it ain't happening, but not that i've seen..I'm thoroughly confused by this "trend" of putting wrapped candy on a cake..probably for "sanitary" reasons? Which begs the question...where did that 'dirty" icing come from?

see now, why THIS post (or that last substance) doesn't get the drunken masses a mergin' to share the mantra -> *USA USA USA*..while other occurrences might..well sir that just shakes the core of my belief system too much...too much.

by the way- have you seen these?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMqoaAznbHc

Yeah, it doesn't bother me on sanitary grounds. It bothers me on laziness grounds. Using candy in a neat cake design? Awesome. Throwing a handful of mini candy bars onto a cake -- not even bothering to unwrap them, much less arrange them -- and calling it good? WHO DOES THAT.

If I wanted to eat a handful of mini candy bars, I would just buy mini candy bars. I guess it gives you something to eat when the cake turns out to taste terrible, though.

This is somehow worse than plastic toys or flowers. The wrapper promises something edible...but first you have to spit it out and unwrap it. I may be a purist, but I think that anything on a piece of cake or other food should be edible. Then again, none of this is good for you. Maybe plastic, foil, paper, and germs add some nutritional value.

At first, I thought those were AA cells on that third wreck. I wonder what they charge for that. It's really rather re-volting, though I guess a case can be made that cakes and batter-ies go together.

@Anonymous @ 9:52, "whatever does not kill me makes me stranger" is the sort of comment that plays to a Nietzsche market, is it not?

No, @Donna & @Calliope, everything about King Cakes is *good*. It's *good* that they have a plastic baby inside -- if they don't, that's *good*, too. It's all *good*. Really. [Wipes sweat from brow and glances around nervously to see if ANTHONY is nearby...]

John (hoJ), since there are presently 61 comments (not counting this one) and just an unwashed handful of them that don't reference germs, are you prepared to call a Spaceship Earth? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The appearance of the last squashed cake, when I zoomed in, plus all the comments about dirty wrappers got me thinking about microbes, which led to thoughts of e coli and salmonella... which automatically led to: http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/products/salmonella.html and the other plush microbe toys on that site!

While it's a good point that I've never washed my hands after opening a wrapper, it should be noted that I hold the wrapper while downing the treat-- so clean hands don't matter because they never actually touch the candy. Also, if it's a mini bar, then they're kept clean within a larger package. Whereas at the bakery, the bigger package's opened, and who knows how many people are touching the wrapper before it gets smushed into the icing?

I think this trend is just a warning sign to keep away from the cakes. They probably taste as bad as they look anyway...

Craig, I love me some King Cake! I have a whole baby collection from my good fortune of finding the baby numerous times in the cake we have at work. I was just wondering if finding the actual candy bar is LIKE finding the baby...you know, a year of good luck or whatever...

Anonymous said...ok...for all those who are concerned about the sanitary aspect - do you really think the people who create all of these wrecks are wearing hair nets and gloves? If they can't figure out the correct spelling, etc. do you think they're thinking about sanitation?_____________________This is why I NEVER eat fondant.

Wow, that is kind of gross. I mean candy wrappers probably have who knows what kind of dust and contamination from being processed not to mention that the candy does not add that much appeal. Why not make a cake that looks like a candy bar instead of putting a wrapped candy bar on the cake.

Oh my goodness. I chuckled through the first few cakes, but then I saw the fancy brownies and I guffawed out loud. And what on earth was that last one? Was that a mass of wrapped stuff on a pumpkin pie?

That last cake looks like it has muffins squished with pink snowballs on it lol. Amongst all the other whatevers that are on there. Sheesh. Wonder if there is actually a cake under all of that or just boxes inside of more cake shaped boxes to drive the customer nuts. I wouldn't put it past the wreckerator lol.

@Barbara Anne: Sorry to hear about your bad day, but thanks for adding to the count.

38 of 96 as of this posting. A tad shy of S.E., but well within the definition of EPCOT as per John (hoJ).

This one is kind of tame (apart from the Howard Hughes / germophobe angle) -- at least they're not piling on our Fearless Leaders about some minor factual error (real or imagined).

That said, I'll bring the Lysol and the hand sanitizer, because America. And a supply of noms, of course -- prepared and packaged in Antarctica under an ultraviolet light by people in full isolation gear who don't even think dirty thoughts.

While I'm at it, I'll install one of those blowers over the bunker door -- the kind that are ostensibly meant to keep flies out of stores, but which I suspect are really intended to provide cheap laughs for employees every time someone's hair gets destroyed.

BTW, I think the last one is one of Sandra Lee's 'tablescapes' in kit form. Or maybe a trip to the ER in kit form. (No, that's redundant.)

I too don't agree much with the idea of mixing wrapped candies in finished baked cakes.That's not healthy! Just imagine how it would be when someone while relishing the creamy cake comes across a warped candy in the cake? Not a good idea man whoever invented it!The Cake Personality TestWhich cake are you like?http://www.3smartcubes.com/pages/tests/cake-personality/cake-personality_instructions.asp

Seriously can't believe that this is becoming a craze! It's kind of weird, but understandable at the same time. Hardly cake 'decorating' though. Plus, we agree with bassgirl - those wrappers could have been anywhere!!

I'm inclined to agree with CaKeLadyRachel on this one. The Almond Joy on the first cake is quite likely there as a less-subtle-than-the-bakery's-label indicator that the cake will contain coconut and almonds as well. I suppose it could've been incorporated more imaginatively into the design, but at least it's not smashed into the icing and is more-or-less centered and serving its purpose.

That second cake...um...the wreckorator didn't want the candy to fall off?

But that third one has me intrigued. The design is pretty bad, but the possibility that the cake itself might contain even MORE Andes Candies love has me feeling a bit giddy.

@Craig "BTW, I think the last one is one of Sandra Lee's 'tablescapes' in kit form."

My first ever comment and it's all because of that line. Thanks for the biggest laugh all day! :)

I'm a head baker, I do cakes and I'm sort of a germaphobe when it comes to food prep. My first thought in regards to the candy was, "I wonder how many kiddies fondled those lollies in the bulk bin before they made it to the cake?!" Wrapped candy (or unwrapped mass-produced candy, for that matter) would never show up on one of my cakes. It just looks like plain (or peanut) tackiness. And just for the record, I do wear my hair back, wash my hands constantly and scrap anything that hits the floor. ;)*Tink

Bahahaha! I can only think of the episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer is attempting to take regular-sized candy packages and affix them to the top of his Qwik-E-Mart donut to try and pass them off as "sprinkles." Heehee.

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A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

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